1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a method of manufacturing an optical system. In particular, the invention relates to adjusting lenses and mounting frames of an optical system relative to each other.
2. Brief Description of Related Art
Generally, a performance of an optical system is determined by a quality of optical components, such as lenses and mirrors, comprised by the system and by an accuracy of an alignment of the optical components relative to each other. Typically, the optical elements are made of a glass or other suitable material, and their optical surfaces are processed to have a surface shape corresponding to a specification of the optical system. Thereafter, each optical element is attached to a mounting frame made of metal or other suitable material, wherein the mounting frame provides mechanical attachment means, such as flanges, through-holes and others. Thereafter, the optical system is assembled by attaching the respective mounting frames to each other in such a way that positions, such as distances and orientations, of the optical elements relative to each other conform with the specification of the optical system. Thus, the manufacture of the optical system comprises manufacture of optical elements, manufacture of mounting frames, aligning each optical element relative to its mounting frame and aligning the mounting frames relative to each other. Especially in the field of photolithography, the trend to ever smaller structures of semiconductors places ever higher demands on the quality of the optical imaging systems, and thus on the alignment of the optical elements relative to each other and to respective mounting frames.